Respiratory diseases include disorders that affect breathing during sleep. Examples of respiratory disorders include central sleep apnea (CSA) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Sleep apnea refers to the cessation of breathing during sleep. CSA is associated with incorrect sensing of carbon dioxide or oxygen levels in the blood. If nerve receptors do not send the correct neural signals, in essence deceiving the brain by reporting incorrect levels of carbon dioxide or oxygen, an incidence of CSA can occur. OSA is associated with an obstruction of the upper airway. Both CSA and OSA have serious health consequences, including association with cardiac arrhythmias and worsening heart failure. Stimulation therapy for apnea differs depending upon whether the patient is deemed a CSA or OSA patient. However, a patient rarely has exclusively a single type of apnea. Both CSA and OSA episodes can occur in one patient over the course of a night in different degrees.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for improved apnea therapy stimulation by tailoring therapy to the specific type of apnea in progress.